Have Courage

My little Chihuahua is now one year old and a constant shadow. Compared to other pets I’ve had, she’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer, if you know what I mean. She has more toys than she knows what to do with and generally picks a toy of the day to bug me with by standing in front of me with it in her mouth and an ears up frisky look that says, “Play with me! Play with me!” I try to push everything to the back burner for a couple of minutes as often as possible to play tug-of-war or fetch until she calls time out. Well, lately I’ve found I must be careful what I’m doing around the house because I find Bella’s nose right there and I’m scared I’m going to hurt her. She’s not afraid of anything if I’m right there guessing she figures that it must be okay. She’s not afraid of the vacuum cleaner and worst of all, the lawn mower. I use this little grunting sound to warn her of danger and/or my disapproval and she reacts immediately, keeping her safe.

I can remember as a child going on road trips with my parents and siblings. When we would come to a big high bridge, looking out the window of the car would bring on a bit of anxious feelings I didn’t know how to deal with, but were calmed by the fact that everything must be okay because dad was driving. I also remember that as I got older those scary pass-over’s became beautiful panoramic views offering awesome insights into the creation that God has given us and the beauty which it holds. But not all people are that way. Every day, it seems, at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in the state of Maryland, there are motorists who arrive at that point and will not drive across. They, like some of us when we were children, want to lock their doors, close their eyes and hide in the trunk while trying to drive across the frightening bridge. Maryland’s Transportation Authority has police officers on duty as surrogate drivers for those who freeze at the wheel or there is a tow service to help those in need. They average five vehicles a day. Bridges like Michigan’s Mackinaw Bridge offer a similar service.

[Philippians 4:4-9; 2 Timothy 1:7] Isn’t it amazing? We all have our fears. For some it’s bridges or flying or crowds. Today it’s Ebola and terrorism; tomorrow who knows? What do you do with your fears? “…Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). According to Wikipedia, Telemachus (also Almachus or Tilemahos), described as being an ascetic (monk) in the writings of Theodoret, came to Rome from the East. He tried to stop a gladiatorial fight in a Roman amphitheatre and was stoned to death by the crowd. The Christian Emperor Honorius, however, was impressed by the monk’s martyrdom and it spurred him to issue a historic ban on gladiatorial fights. The last known fight in Rome was on January 1, 404 AD. Considering our fears of injustice, indifference and immorality, we need the spirit of courage exemplified by Telemachus to be alive in Christians today as we struggle against deeply entrenched evils of the world. The Lord’s church is a fellowship of courageous souls banded together to grapple with wickedness and all unrighteousness. “…God did not given us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and self-discipline”(2 Timothy 1:7). Only by being courageous can we swim against the world’s current and move in the direction of God. Repent and seek His kingdom.